James Easton has been a study flow of UFO related information out of
England ... I met him online on Compuserve, when Ray Santilli was doing
an online conference for the Encounters Forum, Mufon section, plus we
exchanged a number of emails about the so-called Roswell Film. Here
is a story about a UFO that almost collided with an airplane landing
in Manchester, England in January, 1996.

UFO 'Buzzed' Airliner at Manchester Airport

A BRITISH Airways passenger jet had a close encounter with an unidentified
flying object while landing at Manchester airport, an official report
disclosed last night.

The Boeing 737, with 60 people on board, was overtaken at high speed by a
wedge-shaped craft as the plane descended through 4,000ft on the final
stages of a journey from Milan. Captain Roger Wills reported that the UFO,
which was emblazoned with small white lights and possibly a black stripe
down its side, flashed silently down the side of the jet so close that his
co-pilot, First Officer Mark Stuart, involuntarily ducked as it went by.

There was no sound and no wake but both pilots were so concerned that they
filed a formal "airmiss" report. The Civil Aviation Authority launched an
investigation, the fourth such incident since 1987, and after a year-long
inquiry concluded yesterday that they could find no likely explanation. The
three previous reported sightings also baffled the CAA experts.

The incident happened at 6.48pm on January 6 last year with the aircraft
just above the clouds and visibility at least ten miles. Then air traffic
controllers had the following conversation with Flight 5061:

B737: "We just had something go down the right-hand side, just above us very
fast."

Manchester: "Well there's nothing seen on radar. Was it an aircraft?"

B737: "Well, it had lights, it went down the starboard side very quick."

Captain Wills and First Officer Stuart are certain that the object was solid
and not a balloon, a model aircraft or even a military Stealth aircraft
which the captain had seen before and would have recognised.

Both pilots should be commended for their courage in submitting a report,
the investigators said.

Copyright: The Times (http://www.the-times.co.uk/)

This story:
http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/Times/timnwsnws01030.html?1107954

Some Newspaper Reports of the Original Incident:

The Sun, Saturday, January 26th, 1995.

BA Jet Pilots Duck As UFO Flashes Past At 13,000 FT

Two pilots thought their last moment had come as their British Airways jet
headed for mid-air collision - with a high speed UFO.

Terrified fliers Roger Willis and Mark Stuart ducked down in the cockpit
when the brightly lit mystery craft appeared only yards in front of them at
13,000ft over the Pennines.

But as they waited for the deadly impact, they saw the triangular UFO flash
down the right hand side of their Boeing 737 and disappear.

Captain Willis and First Officer Stuart immediately checked with air traffic
control. But they were told theirs was the only plane on the radar.

Their flight from Milan, Italy to Manchester Ringway was 17 minutes from
touchdown when the "alien" invader zoomed past.

The Boeing landed safely, with the 60 passengers unaware of the drama.

Sketches

At first, the pilots didn't tell pals about the UFO, in case of ridicule.
But BA bosses were informed and they sent a detailed log and sketches to the
Joint Air Miss Working Group, which is part of the Civil Aviation Authority.

An inquiry was launched into the January 6th incident. But a CAA spokesman
said yesterday: "We have not been able to trace the aircraft involved."

Sensible

The pilots refused to comment. A colleague said: "They are high grade,
sensible guys. Everyone's talking about what they saw."

Theories that the UFO could have been a new military aircraft were
discounted by experts.

A spokesman for Jane's Defence Weekly said: "We know of nothing at all being
developed that could account for this sighting."

Manchester Evening News, Friday 27th January 1995.

Headline:- Ringway jet in UFO terror

A BRIGHTLY-lit UFO suddenly appeared in front of a British Airways' plane
flying to Ringway.

The two terrified BA pilots, fearing a disaster, ducked in the cockpit of
the Boeing 737 with 60 people on board, which at the time was at 13,000 feet
above the Pennines approaching Manchester.

Captain Roger Wills, who was in command of the flight from Milan, and first
officer Mark Stuart, have made reports to the Civil Aviation Authority and a
top-level inquiry is underway today.

The pilots said in their reports that they saw a "triangular-shaped flying
object" in front of their plane.

They immediately checked with air traffic control at Ringway, and were told
there was nothing on the radar other than their own aircraft. The pilots
then saw the UFO travel at great speed down the right hand side of their own
airliner.

Highly-experienced Captain Wills and first officer Stuart, 24, did not
initially report what they had seen, as they feared being ridiculed by their
colleagues.

But the BA management was informed, and following set procedures, reports
with sketches have been sent to the Joint Air Miss Working Group, which is
part of the CAA. Both pilots refused to speak to the Manchester Evening
News, but one of their colleagues said: "They are high-grade, sensible
guys".

"Everyone's talking about what they saw and it is right that it is reported,
so the experts can try to establish what it was".

Despite the drama, which the passengers knew nothing about, the plane landed
safely at Ringway at 7pm on January 6.

Bild (a German "tabloid" newspaper), 30 January 1995.

(Please make allowances for the translation! James.)

Captain Roger Wills stated: "We were already above Great Britain. Suddenly a
mysterious, fiercely illuminated triangle was heading towards our machine in
a straight way. We thought of the worst. We drew in our heads because we
thought we are going to collide. But in the last second the object passed
our airplane on the right side".

The captain immediately alarmed the nearest control tower. The answer from
the control tower: "Besides you we didn't see anything on the radar!".

At this moment the British air traffic control handles the case.

The Times(date unknown)

"A Close encounter between a British Airways jet with 60 passengers on board
and an illuminated, triangular-shaped unidentified flying object at 13,000
feet above the Pennines is under formal investigation by the Civil Aviation
Authority, Harvey Elliot writes.

Captain Roger Willis and his co-pilot Mark Stuart were beginning their
descent towards Manchester airport after a flight from Milan last month when
both pilots spotted something coming towards them. Very fast. It flashed
down the right hand side of their Boeing 737 twin jet "very close" according
to the formal report...the shaken crew decided to file after being told by
air-traffic controllers that the only thing which had shown up on radars was
their own aircraft.

[Note: This is inconsistent with the other reports which indicate that the
incident was not initially reported - James.]

The mystery of what was seen by the crew of flight 506l is one of four
reports of unidentified flying objects which have been investigated by the
CAA's Joint Airmiss Working Group since 1987, but which are still
unexplained.

Three of the craft have been described as either triangular or lozenge
shaped...

The JAWG, which is made up of representatives of pilots organisations,
airlines, trade unions, military experts and cynics has not yet tried to
piece together the evidence of what could have caused the near miss...